Dateline: New York's 23rd Congressional District where the Republican Candidate, Dede Scozzafaza, dropped out of the special election to fill this heavily Republican Congressional seat and endorsed the Democratic Candidate Bill Owen. This leaves Conservative Party candidate, Doug Hoffman, in a position to pick up the Congressional seat. (Obama received 52 percent of the vote in this district over John McCain twelve months ago).
According to the NY Times today, the issue that prompted Doug Hoffman to enter the race and surge to a commanding lead were: 1) abortion; 2) gay marriage. According to the times, Scozzafaza supports both, but Hoffman is opposed. But, in actuality, few voters in the 23rd have any interest whatever in either of these issues. (It's worth noting that a majority of Americans, right or wrong, agree with Hoffman on these issues).
No, the real issues, not mentioned by the NY Times is that Scozzafaza supported the Obama stimulus package, supports Obama's health care plans, and support the infamous "card check" plan that denies workers a vote on whether or not to have a union. On those issues Scozzafaza, her Democratic opponent and President Obama are in 100 percent agreement. Those are the real issues. And Doug Hoffman disagrees with all three on these issues.
Every poll in the 23rd district shows voter interest in these latter, bread and butter economic issues, and no interest whatsoever in the social issues. Why the NY Times has so distorted the facts of this campaign is open to speculation.
In any event, the battle in the 23rd District of NY State is a battle over economic issues, not social issues. If Hoffman wins, it is a repudiation of the Obama agenda, not a statement about voter preferences on social issues...regardless of what the NY Times may like to think.
